Bed Bugs are a huge pain and a major problem,  there are lots of ways to attack bed bugs and there are advantages and disadvantages to each,  there are great resources to combat theses nasty pests and finding the one that is right for you is the first step, nothing is cheap when it comes to bed bugs and realizing the hidden costs is key to finding the right solutions. Chemical treatments can be successful but it requires a lot of work for everyone involved. Ussualy with Chemical treatments there are items that will be discarded.

Whole house heat treatments are less impacting on your day but there are a lot of preparation that will still need to be done.  This is usually the most expensive option but has the best guarantees, and one treatment will usually take care of it for good. ..... However we do have other options for you.     There is a guy in Colorado that trained a dog to find bed bugs and then those areas can be chemically treated, this is handy if you are concerned about bed bugs being in your living room furniture or in closets full of boxes,  this can isolate where the issue is and make chemical treatments more successful.

His website is www.bedbugbeagle.com

Picture to the right-Mostly adults that have feed recently, one nymph.

 

The dark spots are droppings, the tiny white things are eggs.

the dark spots on the baseboard is droppings, in the picture on the right is a close up behind the trim ( baseboard was removed during an inspection) .... allot of bugs and eggs.

  What we have, 

we have a very large oven for heat treating things like box springs, mattresses and bed frames. Couches, stuffed chairs and things like that will fit as well, this is usually done in conjunction with a chemical treatment.

Or we have whole house heat treatment- this takes all day, but its generally just one day versus Chemical treatments--several appointments stretched out over 45 days. plus your time at the laundromat running everything though the dryer. Heat treatment involve bringing the temperature in your house up to 130-150 degrees and keeping it there for 6-8 hours. The goal is to get bed bug and egg killing tempatures through the walls, furniture and other items in your house. this is very involved to do but it is still the most effective solution. Even though it will cost you more than any other option you will not need to throw away as much stuff, this is the only solution that is effective against the eggs anywhere in your house.

Chemical treatments, this is the most time consuming and generally you end up throwing away items, it will take at least 45 days to deal with the issue and a lot of work on your part.



 

There are a few organic options for bed bug treatment as well,  bed bugs are attracted to kidney bean leaves- there are fine hairs on the leave that trap and kill the bugs, ( the leave must be fresh)  that part is sort of a problem.  There are oil cups that can be placed under the feet of a bed creating a " moat"' that the bugs drowned in trying to cross, these are only effective if the bed bugs aren't laying eggs and living in your box springs and mattress already.     Regardless of how your are wanting to approach this we will be glad to talk to you about it. we are very focused on helping you get rid of these nasty pest, we are not high pressure and aren't going to try to push you to do some thing that isn't going to help you out in the long run.


Bed bugs are very challenging. This is the most complicated issue facing the pest industry today. and this issue is everywhere. you are not alone.. knowledge is power.. however not everything you will find on the internet is true. We are happy to talk to you about it, -even if you don't plan to use our services.

Above is a picture of bed bug droppings on the bottom of a dresser drawer

Here is a picture of eggs, ( tiny white spots) droppings ( black specks on the wood) and all life stages of the bug.( some are hard to make out on the black background)- there are also molted shells here to.

  for more information c all 307-223-1015 or email me at G@hawkons.com and I can send you the heat treatment prep sheet.


Bed Bug Guidelines for what you will need to do during a chemical treatment and what to expect.

 

Bad news first- Bed Bugs are going to disrupt your life! A little planning can minimize this, but if you do not take the time to deal with this issue now, you will be dealing with this issue for a long time.

 

Best case scenario is that your bed bug issue will be resolved within 45 days of service from your pest control technician. It may take longer with organic products.  Worst case scenario- it could take up to 6 months, but we’ve never had that happen. It really depends a lot on how long the bed bug infestation has been going on before the treatments starts. It also is affected by how widespread the issue is, number of people living in the dwelling, and housekeeping techniques..

 

The first thing to do is once you realize you have bed bugs is to deal with it!! Don’t put it off! Every female bed bug is laying 5-8 eggs a day- every day- and those eggs will be hatched and laying their own eggs within 45 days!!! The population expands very quickly! 

 

Second, try to collect some bugs! Put them in a zip lock bag, or a jar for safekeeping. Your pest control guy will need to see these. Pay attention to where you are seeing activity, and look for droppings and eggs as well. 

 Below are the preparations for a chemical treatment- most of this is not necessary for a heat treatment, the technician will have a heat treat prep sheet for you but those steps are very different and muck less labor intensive in most cases.

Third, start bagging up all your clothing, and anything else that is safe to run through a dryer, (shoes, pillows, drapes, ect). Bed bugs and their eggs cannot survive temperatures of over 127 degrees F. So a trip though the dryer on high, twice in a row should kill the bugs and the eggs. (it may need longer if you’re doing dense items such as pillows). We recommend getting two colors of trash bags, one color for dirty clothes and one for clean/heated clothes and items. Most of your stuff will need to stay in the trash bags until all the treatments are done (at least 45 days). You can store bags of dirty clothes outside (in winter)or in a cool place. This will cause the bugs to go into a semi-hibernating state so they don’t crawl around or go exploring. They seem to semi-hibernate below 30 degrees F.

 

During the duration of treatment you are going to want to vacuum regularly, especially using a hose tool around baseboards, in closets, under beds and other areas that your pest control technician will point out during inspections and treatments. Mopping smooth floor surfaces (vinyl and wood flooring) with a mild pine sol or bleach solution regularly is also important. (regularly is at least twice a   week---more is better!!) Once we start bed bug treatment- you will see an immediate drop in bed bug population, and hopefully symptoms (bites) as well.  


Some other facts about bed bugs that are annoying and you probably don’t want to know, but here they are anyway…   New research indicates that they travel a lot farther than previously thought. Bed bugs will travel up to 100’ to find a meal, or shelter.. The females migrate a lot to avoid the males. If bed bugs can’t find food they enter a hibernating state and can live for 18 months. They will wake up periodically to search for food, and then go back to hibernating if there isn’t anything available. When active, they don’t eat everyday, they search out a blood meal every 2-4 days and just rest and lay eggs the rest of the time.

 

Good news? they can’t fly or jump!

Call today to schedule a treatment and talk about options. If you have any questions or issues come up during the treatment, please call ANYTIME! We are here for you and out to get the bed bugs!  307-223-1015